One of the most important parts of the software development process is the process of debugging. Debugging refers to the process of identifying and eliminating errors within a software program. A debugging application program, called a debugger, provides tools to assist a programmer in locating and correcting program errors. For instance, most debuggers provide tools for stepping through the executing code of a program, monitoring the status of input/output ports, and for monitoring and modifying the contents of memory locations and central processing unit registers.
Traditionally, a debugger must be run directly on the computer system that is executing the software that is being debugged. This, however, greatly hinders the software debugging process because the programmer performing the debugging must be in close proximity to the system being debugged. Other systems allow the debugging of one computer through another computer connected via a serial cable. However, these systems also require that the programmer be in relatively close proximity to the system being debugged. This may be extremely inconvenient when it is necessary to debug a computer system that is located across the country or even the world.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.